cliff, and most of the conversation has been about taxes and the white house has done an excellent job, by dealing with the house, and all the messaging today and the weekend about how this is about republican intransigence on taxes. we have seen that. there is as much gap 20 president and his party in congress on spending cuts as there is between john boehner and his caucus on taxes. there is great distance in how far that party has to go to come together to do the kind of entitlement cuts that we still need to see at some time, whether this month or this year or next year. there's a long way to go. they have never been as close as people think on this topic. >> o'donnell: that's interesting, you're saying in terms of messaging the white house has done a good job in keeping this-- >> brilliant. right on taxes. on spending, every time the white house suggested a little bit of spending cuts, social security, med character immediately the democratic caucus said no. >> o'donnell: isn't that the thing about the boehner deal the president said this morning, he was willing to go father on sp